Our Community

Economy

With some of the best quality soils in New Zealand our district is one of New Zealand’s cornerstones of the dairy industry. We also have a strong presence of other large primary industries such as horticulture and meat processing. These all play a major role in building a strong local economy.

The outlook for Matamata-Piako’s economy is healthy, with returns in the primary sector expected to remain above historical averages over the coming decade. In this environment food manufacturers and agricultural support services are also likely to perform well. Given these buoyant economic conditions the outlook for employment growth and wage earnings are also looking good. Results from the most recent census shows that Matamata-Piako has performed well, growing by 2.8%, just above the 2.6% national economic growth rate recorded over the same period. The number of filled jobs in Matamata-Piako has risen by 1.8% over the March 2013 year, compared with 0.8% employment growth at a national level.

In 2013, the Matamata-Piako district contributed $1.612 billion to New Zealand’s Gross Domestic Product. The economic data for 2004, 2007 and 2013 shows that the Gross Regional Product of the District has increased. In terms of GDP growth the district is placed fourteenth out of 66 territorial authorities in the country.

All three main towns and the rural area within Matamata-Piako District are also projected to experience population and dwelling growth.

The Matamata-Piako has a range of industries. Our industrial structure by Share of total GDP (2013) is:

Dairy cattle farming was the largest industry in Matamata-Piako in 2013, accounting for 19.3% of total GDP.

The second largest industry was meat and meat product manufacturing (9.2%) followed by basic chemical and chemical product manufacturing (5.9%).

The industry most highly represented in Matamata-Piako relative to the national economy is dairy product manufacturing. This industry contributes 4.3% to the District's economy compared with 0.4% to the national economy.

The next most highly represented industries are dairy cattle farming (19.3% and 2.2%) and poultry, deer & other livestock farming (1.3% and 0.2%).

Infometrics Data Service

You can search, analyse and extract data about the Matamata-Piako District's economy through the Infometrics online data service.